Spankahontis

This is going to take time to give a full review as progress is ongoing but to cap it off Big Patch after Big Patch. 4/10 Game version 1.0-1.5 was seriously crippled by bugs that made the game unplayable for many including myself. It had bare-bones features, the economy was dead on arrival and simply crippling bugs made allot of features dead on arrival. I'm a defender of Egosoft but the game at this stage of it's development was unacceptable. 4/10 Version 2.0 - 2.5 was a major improvement to the game, the Economy was starting to look like it showed signs of life, new features, ships introduced and allot of game **** bugs fixed. But it still has allot of work on it to do if it wants to get a better rating and claw back it's support. 5.5/10 Version 3.0 - 3.10 I believe is the pivotal moment in the updates that showed that X-Rebirth can turn a disastrous release around.. Most of the worst bugs have been fixed (still plenty more to fix), optimization is a hell of allot better, the Economy in my game is 90% fixed and wares are being made, exchanged and very hard to catch up to. More ship commands (still more needed), a free DLC for owners of the game within a 3 month time period (Egosoft said to be currently doing something about those that missed the deadline) You can now build in Empty Space and name the Space, which has been a demand with X Fans for years. Loads of new Missions including Chain Missions, rewards for missions have been re-valued so you can get 2 million credits for escorting a diplomat etc. We can now buy Medium/Small freighters and fighters from Shipyards/Lots. All in all a vast improvement, I still feel allot is still missing from the game but when 4.0 comes out I'll update this review, my current rating is. ---------- 7/10 ----------

15/01/2013 Review - Patch 3 - PC/Steam version. Patch 3 has rendered the Game unplayable for me otherwise I would give a much higher Metascore as this game has promise.. AI Teleports it's units anywhere in the game, generally right where my units are.. Which gives the AI God Mode like advantage over you. Takes away the enjoyment of the game; The 'AI Teleport' Bug wasn't even much of a problem for me, it was rare through Pre-Patch 3 Updates.. Now they're the norm. Apart from that, the game is sound, an old school X-Com fan, I have mixed feelings about the simplified changes.. Less micro-management but acceptable. I disagree that the tactics have been dumbed down, the tactics on the battlefield are greatly enhanced from the old version. Most of the gripe from the 'traditionalists' of the X-Com franchise is down to micro-management being replaced with a more simpler streamlined model. Example: You no longer manage the weapons/items sales to manage space in your Base(s) You win Scientist and Engineers as a reward, you no longer purchase them and living quarters for them to stay. But the new X-Com, you have to be clever with your decisions, do you opt for more Scientists or invest in the Officers Club? More Engineers to cheapen production or Scientists to speed up research of Alien Artifacts. Firaxis simply changed the strategy side of the game of the story. My only gripes about the game is everyone speaks with an American accent, except Dr Vahlan, this is supposed to be about Countries of the World uniting against a common foe, yet all the Soldiers/Civilians/VIPS are American, and if I have to hear Anna Sing talk in that annoying Fry Tone one more time I swear I'm going to punch a hole through my screen. Not only the voices but the Battle Grounds get repetitive and some don't even make any sense, a Liquor store in Egypt which are very strict on the sale/consumption of alcohol.. It's too Americanized! And of course the bloody bugs are a headache.